Dungeons, Dragons, dice and NCCC

WINSTED —  At Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NCCC) there are many special interest clubs that have been active during this semester.

The clubs are operated by students and faculty and each week offer a chance for students to be more involved in school activities. 

One club, the NCCC Dungeons & Dragons Club, or D&D as it has been called for decades, has 15 active members.

“Basically it all started when a bunch of students wanted to start a D&D club and needed a faculty advisor, which led them to asking me because they knew I’m nerdy enough,” club advisor and chemistry professor Doug Mooney said. “In D&D you’re pretending to be a character and you use dice to throw a bit of randomness. Really all we do is just hang around and play D&D every week. We have two groups, each with their own story, and I am one of the story writers myself.”

Mooney said the story writer of the game is also known as a Dungeon Master.

“We get together and play from 1 to 5 p.m. every week, so we have more time than most clubs,” Mooney said. “We do have a pizza party once a semester, but other than that it’s a pretty low-key club. It’s really exactly what you’d expect it to be: A bunch of nerdy people sitting around a table pretending to be characters in the game. Most people don’t even realize what we’re doing when they walk in.”

“The club is a great place for creativity, something I can’t find in many other places,” group member and Dungeon Master Talon Zimmerman said. “I like world building and team effort, and collaboration of creativity.”

“Clubs help with student retention,” Mooney said. “When you’re on campus interacting you’re more likely to stay and graduate, so a club is there to help keep you motivated. When I was a student I was in a lot of clubs, and I was in the senate and the council.”

For more information about the Dungeons & Dragons club at NCCC call the college at  860-738-6300.